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Breakout Performer of the Year

Breakout Performer of the Year

(Goff Rugby Report photographer Ian Muir brilliantly captured Tim Stanfill's try versus Tonga. This was some fancy work from Stanfill and also from Mr. Muir, who had to battle dark conditions that would have produced blurry images from a lesser photographer.)

TIM STANFILLWell he wasn't on the radar. Everyone knew Tim Stanfill could score tries in club play for Seattle, and he was pretty good at it for Centra Washington University and for the Vancouver (Wash.) U19 team. But international rugby is another kettle of fish entirely, and with the USA enjoying some depth at wing, Stanfill's options seemed to be in 7s ... although they faltered there, too.

You never know why, in the end, a coach prefers one player to another. Sometimes it seems as if Stanfill would fit very nicely into the USA 7s team plans - so much so perhaps that it was easy to overlook him at 15s. But eventually, perhaps with some prodding from his Seattle Saracens coach Justin Fitzpatrick, Stanfill got a look with the USA Selects team in the Americas Rugby Championship. There he was instrumental in helping the USA team finish 2nd for the 2nd-straight year, scoring four tries in two starts. And getting profiled in Goff Rugby Report.

But that performance isn't why he's here. It's because he followed that up with some excellent work for the full Eagles team, scoring two more tries and playing some solid defense, as well. Stanfill likes the contact, which Head Coach Mike Tolkin found out, and he unafraid to make someone pay for a turnover, which everyone likes to see. He's a player who seemingly had no prospects of playing in the World Cup in early 2014, and now is a serious contender to start at left wing, no matter who is available.

You want to see his opportunistic nature? Check out this GIF of his second try against Uruguay in the ARC: